Britney Spears’ Heart to Heart

If you are a Britney Spears’ fan, you may have already noticed that there are at least half a dozen “biographies” of Britney in the bookstores.  A closer look shows they are “unauthorized,” which means that some writer put them together without Britney’s permission or cooperation. The one reviewed here certainly has Britney’s permission, because it is written by Britney herself along with her mother, Lynne Spears.  Its title is “Britney Spears’ Heart to Heart.”  It is published by Three Rivers Press, sells for $12.95 in paperback, and has 135 pages. It is found in the grown-up’s section of bookstores and not back with kid’s books. 

One of the best features of the book is that it has pictures of Britney from her earliest childhood up to her present success as a musical superstar.  Also included are pictures of Britney with her family members and various friends as she grew up. Britney’s mother is an elementary school teacher.  She has two other children besides Britney.  Bryan is a brother four years older than Britney, and Jamie Lynn, is her younger sister. 

Britney was a “Mouseketeer” when she was eleven years old.  She describes how involved her neighbors in the small town of Kentwood, Mississippi, were and how excited they were to see a local girl appearing on the “Mickey Mouse Club.”  She had been entertaining people with her singing from the time she was very little.  By seven, she was taking classes in dancing and gymnastics. Her mother took her to New York where she had various stage experiences before being accepted for the Disney Channel television assignment. 

If you want pictures and details about Britney’s growing up experiences, this is the book for you. 
 
 

101 Fun Facts about Kurt Warner

This is a book that has no plot.  It is just what its title says it is, “101 Fun Facts about Kurt Warner.”  It’s a little book with 101 pages – a picture and a separate fact about Kurt Warner on each page.  For example, did you know Kurt lettered in football, basketball, and baseball when he was in high school?  Did you know he led his high school basketball team to the state playoffs with a 19-5 record?  Of course, it goes on to tell the amazing things he did in his first year in the NFL as the quarterback for the St. Louis Rams.  For instance, Kurt threw for more passing yards (1,217) in his first four starts with the Rams than anyone in NFL history. 

There are also some personal facts about Kurt.  He and his wife, Brenda, have two sons, Zachary (10) and Cade (1), and a daughter, Jessie (7).  He enjoys going fishing and hunting with his father when he is not playing football. 

If you’re a football fan and like Rams collectibles, and especially Kurt Warner collectibles, you are likely to be interested in this book.  It is published by Sports Publishing Inc. and sells for $4.95 at you local bookstore. 
 
 

Lewis and Clark for Kids

If you live in Missouri, you are surrounded with signs along the highways and other reminders of Lewis and Clark. How much do you know about their famous “Journey of Discovery?”  Did you know the journey began and ended in Missouri?  Did you know the explorers’ trip was ordered by President Thomas Jefferson and was one of the great adventures and events of the 1800’s?  The discoveries the explorers made had a major impact on how our country was to develop?  The 143-page paperback book, “Lewis and Clark for Kids.” tells the story of these two discoverers and the adventures they had as they journeyed through parts of the North American continent previously unexplored by white men. 

Included in the book are drawings and photographs that help bring to life the people, places, and events described in the story. Twenty-one “hands on” activities are also included.  Among the activities are directions on how to make a pair of moccasins or how to make common hand signs used by Indians to communicate with members of other tribes. There are directions for making an Indian basket or a drum.  Some of these suggestions might help you with ideas for social studies projects in your classes. 

The book was written by Janis Herbert, published by Chicago Review Press, and sells for $14.95.  For those of you who are really caught up in American history, this author and publisher also produced “The Civil War for Kids.” 
 
 

The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963

This story is told by a 10-year old named Kenny.  Kenny has a little sister and a 13-year-old brother who is known in the family as an “official juvenile delinquent.”  Kenny likes school and is a good reader.  That causes him problems with his brother who doesn’t like school and can’t read very well.  There are bullies in the school who want to go after Kenny, but they tend to back off because of his tough big brother.  That doesn’t mean his big brother won’t pick on him, though. 

Kenny is living in Flint, Michigan, an automobile manufacturing town.  The time is 1963, a key year in the Civil Rights Movement.  Kenny and his family are African-Americans and his mother is originally from Birmingham, Alabama. Cold winters are especially hard on his mother, since she grew up in the warm winters of the South.  His father works in the automobile factory. The biggest part of the story deals with the family’s day-to-day activities in Flint, with the focus on Kenny, since he is telling the story. 

The big event in the family is the trip they make to Birmingham in 1963 to visit their grandma.  They don’t have much money.  The car they are traveling in is not too dependable.  Mother and father have different views on how to make such a long trip.  Big brother doesn’t want to go.  So just the description of the trip makes a story within a story.

The last part of the book deals with the family’s involvement in a tragedy that occurred in Birmingham in 1963.  Racist terrorists bombed a Church in Birmingham and killed some innocent children.  How Kenny coped with the event and the part he played in “saving” his little sister makes up the final part of the story.  “The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963,” by Christopher Paul Curtis is a Yearling Book.  In paperback it sells for $5.99.